Light
by I' shou'L'd be 'OVE'r 'YOU
Summary: Aria bears the Light within her and only true love will awaken it. He loved her long ago and she couldn't love him then but she died trying to save him. Since then she has been reborn and he has found her, just as he promised. (This is really only Sailor Moon related because of a character name)
1. Do You See Now?

I awake to a gentle touch. I open my eyes slowly and when I catch sight of the man before me, I rush back, hitting my head against the wall.

"Slowly," he says quickly, "you mustn't move too quickly."

"Where am I? Who are you?" I yell, shaking my head.

"You must calm down. I will answer all of your questions."

He reaches out and takes my hand. His touch is calming and I can't understand why. I can feel myself beginning to cry and for a reason unbeknownst to me, I throw myself into his arms. Instantly, his arms wrap around me and he runs his hand over my hair. I cry against him and he says nothing.

Eventually, I pull away from him and he gives me his handkerchief. I wipe my tears away and he smiles.

"Who are you?" I mumble.

"My name is Darien."

"How did I get here?"

"Tell me what you remember before you woke just now."

I have to search my mind but I do recall some things, "I was in my bedroom at my parents' home. I heard my mother screaming. I wanted to get up. I wanted to help her but I couldn't. Then," my fingertip touches my forearm, "I felt a sharp pain in my arm and I fell asleep."

"Oh, Aria, I am sorry."

"How do you know my name? What happened to my parents?"

"I will answer your first question in due time. As far as your parents go, I am sorry to say that they did not make it."

"What?"

I can feel myself beginning to cry again. Instead of falling into his arms again, I pull my knees up to my chin and shed the tears I have left. I look up at Darien when his hand touches my foot.

"How did I get here?"

"I sent my people to collect your family because you were not safe where you were. They were too late for your parents but they got you out. I knew you wouldn't come without them, but you were my main goal."

"But why?"

"You will learn all you need to know in time. Today, you shall rest."

When he stands and starts to leave the room, I find myself unable to let him leave. I jump out of the bed and run over to him, wrapping my arms around him. He turns to me and there is a smile on his face.

"A moment ago you wanted nothing to do with me."

"I don't want to be left alone and I don't think I can rest now."

"Then you should get dressed. I have had a wardrobe stocked with some clothes I thought you might like. I will wait for you in the hall."

I nod and release him. I watch him leave the room and he shuts the door behind him. Slowly, I walk to the wardrobe that stands against the wall. I open it and sort through the articles of clothing that hang there. I decide on a red lace dress. I remove the long shirt I've had on this whole time and pull the simple dress over my head. The straps are thin and settle on my shoulders easily. I look at the shoes next. Most are extravagant so I decide on simple pair of black sandals.

I sit at the vanity and brush my hair, braiding it before tossing it over my shoulder. This felt so natural and I couldn't understand why. I shake the thoughts from my mind and I go to the door. I open it slowly. Darien has his back to me. I stand in the doorway and clear my throat. When he turns to me, a smile spreads across his face.

"You look remarkable."

"Thank you."

He offers me his hand. I reach out and hesitate for only a moment. He intertwines his fingers with mine and he leads me through the halls of the castle.

"This place is amazing."

"It is your home now. You are safe here."

The first place he takes me is the kitchen.

"Adalina?" he calls.

"Yes, sir, I am here." she sees me and smiles, "You're awake."

I nod.

"Are you hungry?"

"A bit."

"What would you like?"

"Do you have any fruit?"

"Of course, what's your favorite?"

I think about it for a moment, "Mangoes?"

She turns and makes a humming noise, "Ah," she reaches up into a basket and pulls down the familiar fruit, "here we are." She pulls a knife from her belt and begins to peel the mango, "Please have a seat. This will only take a moment."

"Aria, this is Adalina. If you ever need anything, just speak to her."

"How long have you been here?" I ask her.

"Darien, how old are you now?"

"I'll be twenty-two next month."

"Then I've been here for roughly thirty years."

"Really? You look so much younger than that."

She laughs, "I was born a few years before him. I helped raise him with my mother."

"Raise me? She was like an older sister to me."

She nods as she puts the mango slices into a bowl, "That's true." She places the bowl in front of me, "Here you are, dear."

"If you don't mind my asking, where are you from? I can hear a slight accent in your voice."

"You are very perceptive. I'm Scottish by birth. I lived in Scotland with my grandmother until my mother sent word her that she needed me here. The accent just never went away."

Darien takes a piece of mango from my bowl and pops it into his mouth, "Come on. There's still so much for you to see."

I lift the bowl from the counter and follow behind Darien as he goes out a different door from the one we came in. He's a distance away from me so I jog to catch up to him. I grab the sleeve of his jacket and turn him to face.

"Why do I feel like I know her?"

"All in due time."

"You keep saying that! Why can't you just tell me?"

"You're not ready to know." When I gaze does not waver he sighs and continues to speak, "If by the end of the tour, your questions remain mostly unanswered, I will tell you everything."

"You promise?"

"I promise." He smiles again and it melts my heart, "Now the courtyard."

He takes my hand again and pulls me through more hallways and out a door. Before me is a massive garden. There are three fountains spread evenly across the open area. I gasp and step out in front of Darien. Unconsciously, I walk to the center fountain, putting my free hand against the stone that has been warmed by the sun.

"I thought you'd like it out here."

I look back at Darien, "It all seems so familiar to me."

I lift a piece of mango to my lips and when it touches my tongue, something awakens in my mind. A short flash of something. When I look at Darien again, his clothing has changed. When I look down, my own style of dress has changed as well. I look around me and everything has changed. There is only the fountain my hand touches. The sky is dark and I hear shouting in the distance.

Once again I look at Darien and I hear his voice but his lips are not moving.

_You must leave this place. It's not safe anymore._

My own voice follows but I know my lips are not moving. _I will not leave you._

_Aria, my love, you must. I will find you again, in another life._

I squeeze my eyes shut and when I open them again everything is back to normal.

"What did you see?"

"I saw us centuries ago. There was a war or something. I heard screaming, shouting. You were telling me to leave you."

I notice a bench a few feet from me. I run to it, setting the bowl down next to me. I look up at Darien, whose eyes are filled with tears. He walks over and kneels down in front of me. He rests his hands on my knees and he sighs deeply.

"Darien, who am I?"

"You are the reincarnation of the love of my life. I have waited since the day she left for her to be reborn."

"What happened to her?"

"When she left, she ended up caught in the middle of a battle. She was shot and killed on the very shore of this island. I vowed from that day that I would find her again and so I did."

"I don't understand. That was centuries ago."

"Just like you, I have been reborn. You were born again once. I have been given a new life many times over. Adalina has as well. When she died, when _you_ died, a spell was placed on this castle. My family and all who dwell here have been reborn to this same household time and time again. I knew I would find you."

"But how?" I run my fingers through his hair and another scene, another memory, flashes through my mind. "How did you find me?"

"Adalina could feel you when you first started having the dreams. With her help, we tracked you and when your family was attacked, my people rescued you."

Everything is back to normal again when he stops speaking, "These things I'm seeing, are they my memories?"

"They are. They will slowly return to you over the next few days. The more you see of this place, the more you will remember."

I move away from him, "This is too much for me."

"I know it is a lot to take in but I promise you will make it through this. I am here. Adalina is here. I will not risk your life again. You and I will make it through this war. I have been fighting it all my life."

"What is this war all about?"

"You. This war is about you."

"Me?"

"Come with me. There is only one place you will find all the information you seek."

I follow behind him in silence. He stops in front of a large set of gilded double doors.

"Before you go in, there's something you have to understand. The books will give you all the answers they can but there are some of your questions you'll have to answer for yourself."

"I don't understand."

"You will. I promise."

He pushes the door open and I step past him. The room itself is bright, even the shelves give off a sort of mystical light. I set my bowl down on a table and walk the length of one wall, looking at the titles of the books.

"I'll leave you to it." Darien says, "I'll come to check on you in a while."

I look at him and nod, before going back to my search. Once the doors are shut, the real magic in the room comes to life. Each book I touch gives off a musical sound. Some even move from the shelves as if they are jumping out at me.

_I see you found your way._

"Who said that?"

_Turn around._

I do as the voice commands. I come face to face with an image of myself, the image I saw in my head out in the garden.

"You're me."

_You can say that__._She sits down at the table. _It has been so long since I've been here._

"How is it that you are here?"

_You called for me._

"I don't remember that."

_Of course you don't. I have always been with you, Aria. Come to think of it, you haven't consciously called for me since you were a little girl. I am your memory and you are restoring the magic to this place. _

"The books."

_They are at your command. I'll prove it to you. Ask a question, any question you want the answer to._

I have to think but soon enough a question comes to me, "Why does this war revolve around me?"

I watch the room and soon enough a book flies from a shelf and lands softly in my hands. It opens by itself and the pages turn quickly. It stops on a passage called "The Inner Light". It describes a mystical power that resides within the only daughter of an ancient family that bears too many names to be recorded. She alone has the ability to use this power, this light, to free her family and the family of immortals that she was to marry into. Once a powerful witch cast a spell, placing a curse on both families until the light was released.

_Do you see now?_

"How am I supposed to use this light? If it's really inside me, how can I harness it?"

_You mustn't, not yet. The war will rise again and that is when you must use it. Heed my warning. I died trying to free our families._

"That's not what Darien said."

_Keep reading and you will understand why he lied to you._

I am unsure about wanting to know the rest but I read on. The passage goes on to say that the power can only be harnessed by the power of true love. The girl and the son of the immortal family did not love each other when it was first used so she died trying to save everyone.

"I have to love him."

_Yes, you do. You must learn to love him as I never could._

"Why couldn't you?"

_When I was living, love didn't exist. At least, it didn't exist the way it does now. I hated the idea of an arranged marriage. I fought my parents on it and I refused to love him. I have watched centuries go by and each day I saw him lose hope over and over again. _Her demeanor changes. _It seems I have revealed the truth to another lie._

"He said he had been reborn several times over."

_No, he has not. I have watched him in silence for nearly ten centuries. I love him like I never did and I wish things had been different. _She walks over to me and takes the book from my hands. _It's your turn now. Do not let his deceptions fool you. He only lied to protect you, so you wouldn't feel like you were in this alone. Let him be there for you as he was earlier when you cried in his arms. _

Another book of a smaller size comes to me then. The pages turn slower after it opens and it settles on a single image. It is not my past self in the picture but me. Darien stands behind me. I hold in my hands what looks like a shining star but I know it's the Light, the power that waits inside me. His hands are cupped beneath mine and that's when I realize, we are both holding the Light.

I smile at the image in front of me.

_Do you understand what the Light is?_

A single tear moves down my cheek, "The Light is our love."

_All of the story books got it right. True love truly conquers all._


	2. Please read Important notice to readers

ATTENTION READERS:

I'm going to call this a beta story. I got the idea from a conversation with a friend/ a dream I had the other night. Your feedback will decide whether I go any further or I just leave it at this. If nothing else, though, I will write the full story about the curse and all that. So please let me know what you think and I hope you enjoyed what you have read.

Thanks so much,

The Author


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